Frans Bruggen

Frans Brüggen (* Amsterdam 30-10-1934 - † Amsterdam 13-08-2014). Bruggen brings the music to life admirably capturing both the grandeur and sparkle of the music. His acute rhythmic sense brings great rewards to these performances and Haydn certainly gives his interpreters plenty to think about in this direction.

G. P. Telemann - Recorder Sonatas & Fantasias - F. Brüggen, A. Bylsma, G. Leonhardt
Baroque | Easy CD-DA, APE, Cue | No Log | 1 CD, covers | 344 MB | RS
Teldec 4509-93688 | 1995

Brüggen plays wonderfully. He has total command of his instrument: vibrato, dynamics, flying through the vivace passages with no misplaced note. The accompaniment is also excellent.

Period instrument performance classical music fans will definitely want to add this box set to their collection, which is a rather belated attempt by Philips to offer Bruggen's Schubert symphony cycle and reap some financial rewards from the fact that his period instrument band still remains one of the most popular ensembles of its kind world-wide.

Georg Philipp Telemann - Overture in A minor · Concerto in C major · Concerto a 6 in F major
Frans Brüggen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus musicus Wien
Baroque | Easy CD-DA, FLAC, Cue | No Log | 1 CD, covers | 332 MB | RS
TELDEC 4509-97472-2 | 1995

Telemann was fully aware not only of the need to give each instrument its due but also of what each could achieve, tailoring his music to suit them all, including the recorder, which he used in his orchestral works in a whole series of cyclical forms from overture to solo and double concerto.

Georg Friedrich Händel - Recorder Sonatas - Frans Brüggen
Baroque | APE, Cue | No Log | 1 CD, no covers | 334 MB | RS
ARCHIV 415 130-2 | 1985

The six recorder sonatas were composed in London, during the period 1724 - 1726, when Handel was enjoying a prolific period and huge success.
The recorder sonatas are a distillation of many of Handel's favourite melodic and rhetorical devices. As a master craftsman he was able to take ideas from large-scale works and recreate elements of oratorio, concerto, operatic aria and orchestral suites in perfectly crafted pocket book form.

The other interpreters also are noteworthy: Alice Harnoncourt, Anner Bylsma, Nokolaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Leonhardt and Herbert Tachezi

Frans Brüggen first turned his attention to the music of Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies in the 1980s, using period instruments. Now, his quest undimmed, he returns to the glories of Beethoven’s orchestral music for a new cycle being issued in a sumptuous hybrid SACD box set on Glossa. Likewise undimmed is the rapport he shares with his orchestra for one of classical music’s greatest challenges by way of concert performances: Brüggen has long distanced himself from studio recordings.

This 2 CD-set presents two aspects of Purcell's music: religious music and instrumental music. Let's start by the first CD. It includes magnificent anthems for the Church for soloists, choir, and orchestra. The first track to open the CD, "Rejoice in the Lord alway", is probably one of Purcell's most famous anthem. The beautiful introduction (sometimes known as the Bell Anthem) prepares the entry of the two countertenors who expose the melody, intoned by the choir later. As with Purcell's style, the music is always refined. The soloists are all top-notch here, and the choir (King's College of Cambridge) is, as always, magnificent. It is really nice to hear the soprano part sung by boys, as I think it gives another dimension to Purcell's music.

Georg Philipp Telemann is a name that has survived relatively well in the musical scene with large numbers of his works recorded on several different labels. One has to remember however that this was not always the case especially in the late 1960's when these pioneering recordings were made.
The four works on this disc provide a good cross section of Telemann's talent and they are also very well played by the various orchestras here. The one which is perhaps less well known is the South West German Chamber Orchestra under Friedrich Tilegant who however was an excellent conductor and very well respected in towns such as Stuttgart and Mainz.

By chance now I have found this rip that completes and improves what I have published two weeks ago. The tracks are lossless. TELDEC has added a Naudot's Concert for recorder, two violins and basso continuo op.XVII/5: Frans Brüggen plays the recorder and Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Concentus Musicus Wien.